Numbers 14:1
“And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.”

The verse above is the result of ten spies who chose to be negative about going forward to take the Promised Land. What is sad about the verse above is that these people had a choice to listen to the two spies who were positive and full of faith, but they didn’t. Even though these people had seen God part the Red Sea, give them manna from Heaven every day, and had watched Him meet their every need, they still allowed the negative to ruin their outlook on the next step they should have taken. The sad part is that ten negative spies ruined so many people’s lives because of their focus on their abilities instead of on God’s ability. There are several lessons that the negative spirit of these ten spies can teach us about the power of negativity.

First, negativity is a choice. Negative people have ruined many good churches. It doesn’t matter how much good God is doing; negative people tend to find a way to see what is going wrong and ruin the spirit of those who are doing the good. My friend, you have a choice to either be negative or positive. These ten spies could have been positive about taking the land like the two positive spies, but they chose to be negative. You must understand that you are not negative because of your personality or how you were raised, but you are negative because you choose to be negative. Whatever your excuse may be as to why you are negative, you must remember that nobody is making you to be negative but you.

Second, negativity always influences others for the worse. The whole congregation of Israel was influenced by the ten negative spies. I would hate to think that my negativity influenced many to do wrong. Your negativity wears on those who are trying to do right. A constant negative outlook or spirit causes others to quit trying or to become negative themselves. I would much rather influence others to be positive about God’s power and works than to be negative about what God has the ability to overcome.

Third, insulate yourself from negativity. There will always be more negative people than there are positive people. If you are going to keep your spirit on topside, you will have to learn to spend as little time as you can with negative influences. It doesn’t matter if the negative is coming from people or news sources, insulate yourself from those negative influences and be around them as little as you can so you can protect your own spirit.

Fourth, negativity is a focus on one’s inability instead of God’s ability to overcome. The biggest reason people are negative is because of their self-focus instead of having a God-focus. Self-focused people see how everyone is treating them and how everything in their life is so bad, and that is why they are negative. The quicker you get your eyes off yourself, the more quickly you will find yourself able to have a positive spirit and outlook on life.

Fifth, negativity always hinders faith. One of the worst things about negativity is that it keeps people from doing what God wants them to do. Let me ask you, are you influencing yourself and others not to live by faith because of your negativity? You will always do more for God by having a positive spirit because a positive spirit has a way to keep you focused on God’s overcoming power as you walk forward by faith.

Author: Allen Domelle